Sweet Temptation

“Just think of all those women on the Titanic who said, ‘No, thank you.’ to dessert that night. And for what!”

~ Erma Bombeck

Men In White

When Masood forwarded me an email (from the Dubai Internet City people) that said “you are cordially invited to celebrate the 38th National Day of the United Arab Emirates”, I insisted that we go and see how the locals celebrated.  Actually, the National Day is on December 2, but since that’s a holiday they decided to celebrate today – last working day before the long weekend.

And it was my first time to see the men in white perform – live.

Isn’t their traditional dress pretty?  It’s known by several names, like thawb or thobe, or dishdasha, or kandura, or khameez, or suriyah (in Libya).  A cousin of mine call it, lassi ka glass.

Anyway, I’ve also asked Masood to record a small clip of their performance.  I felt shy to do it myself.  Personally, I think their folk dance is too slow and repetitive.

Brief history of the traditional dance here.

In the picture above, Masood signed an Eid postcard.  This was provided by the organizers for free.  Notice the fishbowl full of cards?  All of these will be delivered to the president of the UAE.  They even put their thumbprints there.

I didn’t send out a card.  I was busy eating chocolates.

As you can see, lunch was free.  There was biryani, fried chana dal (or yellow dried split peas), and al harees.  Food was good, alhumdulillah, but too bland for our desi taste buds.  There were also two kinds of sweets, which we didn’t feel like trying.  Two women wearing the tradition golden face veil were sitting in a tent making them.

There also was traditional coffee and tea, and lots of chocolates wrapped in papers the color of the flag.

Oh, and there was also this mandatory man with a falcon.  That’s a must in every Emirati celebration.  I didn’t take his picture though.  He was already surrounded by photographers, and was acting like some celebrity.

It was a fun day.

Looking Out to the Sea

“May your time be filled with relaxing sunsets, cool drinks and sand between your toes.” ~ Unknown

And I would also like to request those who can to please support the efforts of Lisa-Marie to help the less fortunate children of Riverton, Jamaica.  Click here to learn about how you can help.  Thank you!

Inside the First Class Bathroom of Emirates A380

The Emirates A380

My younger sister, the girl who gets a lot of awesome work-related perks, has recently returned from an official trip in Bangkok aboard the Emirates A380.  She took a lot of pictures, much to my delight.  So all the pictures posted here belong to her.  I have nothing to do with them whatsoever.

The food, obviously. But she didn't mention what it was.

Stairs leading up to the bar (one thing that shouldn't be in an aircraft that belongs to a Muslim country, but well ...) and social area of the first class passengers.

A personal mini-bar and touch-screen, wireless remote to manage to seat with massage facility.

But this post is not about the A380 as a whole.  This post is about the bathroom of the A380.

The attention to detail is unreal. They even have heated floors.

A window to enjoy the, well, clouds.

Sensor-activated taps

On these flights, an extra staff (non cabin crew) is carried to assist passengers wanting to use the bathroom, and to take care of these showers/spa.

There's also a hair dryer.

Bvlgari perfumes and timeless spa lotions, separate for men and women.

Who could refuse clean, good-smelling, fluffy towels?

Timeless Spa products developed for Emirates by the German brand Babor.

Although the shower time is limited to 5 minutes, one can stay in the bathroom for 20-30 minutes (sampling all the products available).

The showers are regulated through a software program that gives people a five-minute shower, with a traffic light system that lets people know how long they had left. So if you're on amber and your hair's full of shampoo, you want to get moving.

Keep your eye on the illuminated timer, which counts down the allotted five minutes, but you can stop the shower any time by pushing a button.

But I find this picture really funny …

An Emirates cabin crew in an abra!

So We’re Back …

… from our gorgeous haveli in Mumbai …

… to the sand and glass of Dubai.

Not that I’m complaining.  I think I’ve seen enough green and rain to last me, well, at least 6 months *hint to the husband*

I’m so happy to be back  in the U.A.E.  Why?  Because this is the time of the year to be here!  Clouds are starting to float in the sky.  I can see stars twinkling in the night.  The birds have begun to migrate from neighboring countries.  I can keep my windows open to cooler breeze.  I can finally plan BBQ with family and friends.  Masood and I can steal some time (an hour, for example) from work and go out for a walk.

I am geographically closer to my family.

And I can hear beautiful adhaan five times a day.